April Ryan Says Reporters Of Color Are Treated As 'The Opposition' In The Current White House Press Room

Journalist and CNN political analyst April Ryan has been on the receiving end of several targeted verbal attacks from right-wing affiliates over the past year and now she’s speaking out about the often-tense environment that is the Trump-era White House press room.

Ryan yet again found herself at odds for a moment during an exchange with on White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee on Monday. While speaking with CNN host Don Lemon about her brief back and forth moment with Huckabee —which has since gone viral—the long-time White House correspondent also addressed the change she’s noticed in how today’s journalists interact with the current administration.

“Some of these reporters were embedded with the candidates,” Ryan said. “And when they come in, they feel a friendship to a certain extent with them, then you have reporters who are from the same party. I mean, I remember there was a time, and Don, I know you remember this, we used to hear someone on TV say, ‘that’s the way it was.’ And you didn’t know his politics, you just trusted the facts.”

Elaborating further, Ryan went on to note how reporters—especially reporters of color—who question the White House are automatically treated as “opposition” and assumed to be supporters of the opposing party.

“Now if you question [the Trump White House], you’re considered someone from the opposing party,versus just [a journalist] trying to get the facts,” she added. “And God forbid, you are someone of a different race, I was speaking of myself, you’re considered an opposition. I don’t bring my politics, I just ask questions about what’s right and wrong, or things that go on in Washington.”